ComicsAlliance’s Best of 2016: The Best Anthology Comic of 2016

While 2016 was a tough year in many regards, it produced some amazing comics, including a lot of great comic anthologies. Our writers and editors have made their picks of the best comics of the past year, and you, the readers of ComicsAlliance, have voted for your favorites.

Now check out the best anthology comics of 2016, including our critics’ picks, listed in alphabetical order, and the comics you voted the runner up and winner in this category! This is the very best of 2016!

Critics' Pick: My Monster Boyfriend

Edited by C. Spike Trotman / Iron Circus Press

I didn't know that I needed My Monster Boyfriend in my life until I saw editor C. Spike Trotman's vision for the crowdfunded anthology. With 10 sexy (and occasionally silly) stories that include Gail Simone and Trudy Cooper's hilarious story "Spoilsport," and Leia Weathington and B. Sabo's intensely beautiful "Lonesome Palace," this anthology is an amazing ode to the monster boyfriends that we've all (not so) secretly wanted. [Zina H.]

Critics' Pick: Strange Romance

Edited by Adam Prosser / Phantasmic Tales

Sci-fi is a genre that often finds success examining contemporary issues through a figurative setting where more than the real is possible. Romance comics are criminally underlooked. Anthologies have an incredible opportunity to spotlight stories and creators that might not be seen otherwise. Strange Romance combines the best of that format and genres, resulting in a vital collection of stories that we are greater for having been able to read. [James Leask]

Critics' Pick: The Other Side

Edited by Melanie Gillman and Kori Michele Handwerker / Other Side Press

Suddenly, there’s a mysterious, haunted tome on your shelf. It does not contain unspeakable words, pulsing images, or instructions to build IKEA furniture. It is a book of queer paranormal romance, of smooches and spooks. It is The Other Side. In this, anthology edited by Melanie Gillman and Kori Michele Handwerker, readers witness spooky anti-gentrification efforts, encounter haunted motorcycles and microwaves, and visit a oujia board call center. Take caution: your love for this diverse, inclusive anthology may just last for all of eternity. [Jon Erik Christianson]

Runner-up: Island

Edited by Brandon Graham and Emma Rios / Image Comics

The best anthologies are the ones that show you something new — a creator you've never heard of before, a particular approach or subject matter, et cetera. Island is a perfect example of an anthology that consistently gets it right. With an incredibly diverse collection of rising talent and a clear commitment to experimentation, Island is a wellspring of compelling projects: Farel Dalrymple's Pop Gun War sequel, Simon Roy's Habitat, Emma Rios' I.D., Matt Sheehan and Malachi Ward's startling Ancestor, and many more. In every issue of Island you're bound to find something that you've never seen before. [John R. Parker]

Winner: Wonder Woman 75th Anniversary Special

Edited by Chris Conroy, Rebecca Taylor and Dave Wielgosz / DC Comics

This beautiful 80-page special is a wonderful treat for longtime Wonder Woman fans, but also a great introduction to the character for newbies. With lovingly told tales from a host of great creators, including Gail Simone, Hope Larson, Fabio Moon, Rafael Albuquerque, and Jill Thompson, the anthology showcases the many different sides of Diana and demonstrate why she's endured for three quarters of a century as one of comics' most iconic characters. [Emma Lawson]